Quick Start

Aquarius⁺ Quick Start

This document shows you how to quickly get up and running on your Aquarius⁺ Signature Edition (or similar).

The Case

Below are images of each of the sides of the Aquarius⁺, identifying the ports and what they're used for.

Top

The top of the Aquarius⁺ case features an inset logo and five "racing lines", reminiscent of the design of other Mattel Electronics devices from the late 1970's through early 1980's. The components inside the Aquarius⁺ don't usually get warm, but it's best if no other items or equipment are placed on top of the device while it's turned on.

Front

Ports (Left to Right):

• LED light - When lit, indicates when the Aquarius⁺ is functioning
• SD card slot - Your SD card goes in here. Note that this should be formatted before you insert it, and the contents of the sdcard folder should be copied to it.
• Aquarius Control Pad Port 1 - This port is for an Aquarius Controller, used typically to control Player 1 in games.
• Aquarius Control Pad Port 2 - This port is for an Aquarius Controller, used typically to control Player 2 in games.

Left

Ports (Left to Right):

• OUT to Cassette Port (Mono)* - Use a standard 3.5mm / 1/8" audio connector and connect this port to the "mic" or "in" port on a Data Recorder.
• IN from Cassette Port (Mono)* - Use a standard 3.5mm / 1/8" audio connector and connect this port to the "speaker" or "out" port on a Data Recorder.
• Printer Port (TRS)* - Use an Aquarius Printer cable and connect this port to the Aquarius Thermal or Pen printers.

*Note that on early versions of rev2 PCB, these jacks are surface-mounted to the PCB, and can be very delicate. They have since been changed to a through-hole mount for better stability, but care should be taken.

Right

Port:

• Expansion/Cartridge Port - This port will accept Aquarius ROM software cartridges.
  • RAM cartridges or expanders with RAM on-board will not work on the Aquarius⁺ and will usually cause the system to crash.
  • Cartridges or expanders which have IO devices that map to the same device IDs as the Aquarius⁺ (like the AY-3-8910 sound chip in the Mini, Micro, or MX expanders) will usually cause the system to crash.

Back

Ports (Left to Right):

• Power Switch - This allows 5v from the USB Micro Power Port to power the system. When looking at the BACK of the case, RIGHT is OFF, and LEFT is ON.
• VGA Port - Plug your standard VGA monitor into this port for video output.
• Audio Out Port (Stereo)* - This 3.5mm / 1/8" stereo audio out jack can be connected to powered speakers to output the Aquarius⁺ sound.
• USB Keyboard Input = Connect a USB keyboard to this port for text input. For more details go to the Keyboard page for details.
• Micro USB Power In - This is the power input for the Aquarius⁺. A USB power supply with an output current rating of at least 2.1A is recommended.

*Note that on early versions of rev2 PCB, the Audio Out Port jack is surface-mounted to the PCB, and can be very delicate. It has since been changed to a through-hole mount for better stability, but care should be taken.

Bottom

The bottom of the Aquarius⁺ case has stylized ventilation grills that mimic those on the original Aquarius, surrounded by four rubber feet. While the Aquarius⁺ does not usually get warm, it's best to leave the area around the unit open so that airflow can naturally cool the components as needed.

In the middle of these grill holes is the Aquarius⁺ label, indicating the model number, serial number, and manufacture date of the device. Some units may also indicate unique features of the device, such as if it is a prototype or other limited edition.

Also on the bottom are the four screws which hold the case together. Note that the screw posts can be fragile and may wear out after repeated opening and reclosing of the case. Care should be taken to not strip these posts out, but hot glue or construction adhesive (cured 48 hours) can be used to "re-thread" these posts.

Plugging In Peripherals

Now that we know where all the ports are and what they do, it's time to plug everything into your Aquarius⁺. Here's the recommended order and settings of the equipment:

1. Audio Out - The audio plug is the most noisy when plugging in because the signals are each touched as the plug is inserted, including ground. This can cause issues on some speakers (buzzing, clicks, pops, etc.) so we plug this cable in first BEFORE there are other grounded cables connected that could make an audio loop to ground (humming noise).
   • If you're attaching to a set of powered speakers, a common 1/8" / 3.5mm STEREO cable is plugged into the back of the Aquarius⁺. Sometimes these are pre-attached to the speakers. Sometimes an additional cable is needed, but most people who have used computers in the past will have at least one of these cables in their "tech drawer".
   • If you're planning on using a set of headphones, note that the audio level coming from the back of the Aquarius⁺ can be louder in some headphones, so use caution.
   • If you're planning on patching the Aquarius⁺ audio into a VGA to HDMI converter (with audio injection), an 1/8" / 3mm STEREO cable will be needed.
2. VGA Monitor - Since the VGA connector is also on the back and the VGA cable is typically the bulkiest, it's recommended that you connect it next.
   • Most modern multisync monitors will work fine with the Aquarius⁺, but it's recommended that widescreen monitors be set to 4:3 aspect ratio rather than 16:9/Wide. This displays the Aquarius⁺ content in the way it was designed.
   • If you prefer to use an HDMI monitor, there are many inexpensive options to convert VGA to HDMI, some of which even allow patching in the Aquarius⁺ audio signal, but make sure that your monitor actually HAS speakers before driving yourself nuts trying to figure out why sound doesn't work.
3. Power - To power the Aquarius⁺, a USB Micro B power source of at least 1.4 amps is needed.
   • Before plugging in this cord, make sure that the power switch is off (to the LEFT when facing the FRONT of the Aquarius⁺).
   • Take care in plugging and unplugging the USB power. While a fortified USB Micro B port is used, excessive stress on the port can cause the solder lugs to fail.
   • Wait until instructed (below) before turning on the Aquarius⁺.
4. USB Keyboard - Connect your wired USB Keyboard (or dongle-based wireless keyboard).
   • Note that keyboards with internal USB hubs will not work at this time.
   • Devices other than keyboards (mice, controllers, etc.) are not currently supported.
5. SD Card - Typically, your Aquarius⁺ will ship with a pre-formatted SD card that contains starter files from the sdcard section of this repository.
   • The SD card port features a click-in/click-out port that more carefully "ejects" the media.
   • Make sure the SD card LOCK is not turned on, otherwise you will not be able to SAVE files.
   • SD cards are hot-swappable, so you can change cards even while the Aquarius⁺ is turned on.
6. Hand Controllers - If you have legacy Aquarius Hand Controllers you want to use with the system, plug them in now to the ports on the front of the Aquarius⁺... left is controller 1 and right is controller 2.
   • Note that at this time, non-Aquarius controllers with DB9 plugs are not supported (i.e. Atari-style or Sega joysticks, Intellivision II control pads, Amiga mouse, etc.).
   • If you don't have legacy Aquarius Hand Controllers, you can pair some Bluetooth controllers instead.
7. Data Recorder - If you have a legacy Aquarius Data Recorder, you can connect it to the Aquarius⁺ using a pair of 1/8" / 3mm audio cables.
   • The OUT to Cassette Port (left jack) goes into the "mic" or "in" port on the recorder.
   • The IN from Cassette Port (middle jack) goes into the "ear" or "out" port on the recorder.
   • The legacy Aquarius Data Recorder Cable will not work on the Aquarius⁺ because the round DIN plug has been deprecated.
8. Aquarius Printer - If you have a legacy Aquarius Thermal or Color/Pen Printer, you can connect it (right jack) using the legacy Aquarius Printer Cable.
9. Cartridge - If you want to use a legacy Aquarius cartridge ROM, plug it into the Aquarius⁺ cartridge port.
   • Aquarius RAM cartridges or expanders like the Micro Expander / Aquarius MX with RAM in them will not work.
   • ROM cartridges or expanders like the Micro Expander / Aquarius MX which have IO devices (sound chip) that interfere with those of the Aquarius⁺ will not work.
   • Legacy Aquarius ROM software cartridges can be dumped to a file named "filedump.rom" on the SD card (if inserted) by pressing F12 when the ROM title screen appears.

You've now plugged in all components, so let's get this thing booted up!

Turning on the Aquarius⁺

Once all devices and cables have been attached to the Aquarius⁺, it's time to turn the unit on. While facing the front of the Aquarius⁺, reach to the right rear of the case and flip the power switch to the RIGHT side of the case to turn it on. So long as there is an SD card in the slot, the Blue LED should turn on, and you should hear a BEEP through the speakers.

Your monitor should show the Aquarius⁺ startup screen, prompting you to press the RETURN key to begin. After the RETURN key is pressed, you are brought to the Aquarius⁺ BASIC screen. To see what's on your SD card, type the following text and press RETURN:

dir         <- Type this and hit RETURN

A list of the folders and files at the root of the SD card are listed, followed by Ok, which is the Aquarius' way of letting you know it's done. To go into one of these folders, you use the cd (change directory) command. Let's go into the roms folder where all the original Aquarius game cartridge images are stored...

cd "roms"                      <- You type this and hit RETURN
Ok                             <- Aquarius types this
dir                            <- You type this and hit RETURN
23-07-16 11:51   16K AD&D.rom  <- Aquarius lists these items...
...
23-07-16 11:51   16K Zero-In.rom
OK                             <- ...and then says OK

Now, lets run the Mini Expander Diagnostic ROM to show that the system is connected properly.

run "Minidiag.rom"    <- Type this and hit RETURN

The Mini Diagnostic will go through the RAM and sound, and will also test the Aquarius Controllers, if you have them attached:

• Only 16K of RAM is tested, even though the Aquarius⁺ has 512k of RAM
• Only the first AY-3-8910 sound chip is tested, even though the Aquarius⁺ has TWO virtual sound chips.
• The USB keyboard can emulate SOME of the functions of the Aquarius Controller in Port 1. To test buttons 1-6, press F1-F6, and to test the control disc, press the CURSOR keys. If this is not working, press the Scroll Lock on your USB keyboard to toggle this feature.

When you are done, to RESET the Aquarius⁺, you can either switch it off an on again, OR you can press CTRL + ESC to reset via the keyboard.

Spend some time navigating the folders on the SD drive. Here are some basic navigation functions using the CD command:

CD                 <- Type this and hit RETURN to show the current PATH

CD "foldername"    <- Type this to go into a folder
CD "foldername     <- Note that the final " is optional

CD ".."            <- Type this to "back up" one folder

CD "/"             <- Type this to go to the ROOT of the SD card

The Aquarius⁺ can RUN a few filetypes automatically (it LOADs and RUNs them). Search for some of these filetypes in the folders and experiment with them.

RUN "run-me.baq"   <- Loads and runs a plusBASIC program

RUN "tiledemo.caq" <- Loads and runs this legacy Aquarius Cassette file program

RUN "Utopia.rom"   <- Loads and runs this Aquarius ROM cartridge image

Some BASIC and CAQ files can be ended by pressing CTRL + C, but not always. Sometimes the CTRL + ESC reset sequence must be typed to reset the system.

Aquarius⁺ can LOAD BAQ (plusBASIC) files/programs without running them.

LOAD "run-me.baq"  <- Loads a plusBASIC program without running it
OK
LIST               <- Lists the lines of BASIC code
10 REM HELLO
20 PRINT "Hello!"
30 GOTO 20
OK

The program can then be RUN once loaded.

plusBASIC programs can also be saved to SD card using the SAVE command. The file is saved in the current directory, so make sure you're in the correct path to save your file.

SAVE "MyProgram.bas",ASC   <- This will save a plusBASIC program as an ASCII text file

You can also delete files on the SD card using the DEL command.

DEL "MyProgram.bas"    <- This will delete your previously saved program

Note: Later versions of plusBASIC remove the need for quotation marks around filenames when using some commands. For consistency, these quotation marks have been left in the examples above.

Going Wireless

Now that you've explored a bit with the Aquarius⁺, you can also bring it into the 21st century...

• Connect your Aquarius⁺ to Wi-Fi for online updates and to set the system clock.
• Connect your Aquarius⁺ to a Bluetooth controller for a more comfortable gaming experience.

Conclusion

There are many more commands and parameters that can be used to work with files on the Aquarius⁺ SD card. The PlusBASIC guide offers more plusBASIC programming tips and tricks to unlock the features of the Aquarius⁺, or you can explore the Developer Guide, a fully featured programming guide for the Aquarius⁺.